Not Quite Paradise
by SpookyMarshmallow
Summary: He didn't mean to stumble into the gang life; he was simply at the wrong place, at the wrong time, wearing the wrong color. AU
1. Bad Town

**_I do not own Devil May Cry, its characters, Hollywood Undead or its song "Bad Town."_**

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><p>Nero slowly opened his eyes, surrendering to the morning light filtering through his blinds and glared daggers at his alarm clock.<p>

Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he reached for the device's off switch with his free hand. After the cursed machine was quieted, he stretched out from the curled position he had woke in, folding his arms to rest behind his head. The high schooler lay still, staring at the lazily rotating ceiling fan, and mulling over the stray, groggy thoughts floating in his head. The vague light from the clock reminded him of the time. If he didn't hurry, he'd make himself late for class.

With a soft sigh, the sixteen-year old pushed himself up from the fluffy depths of his comforter. Nero slowly padded across the room, stopping at his dresser. He grabbed a pair of boxers, jeans, and a red shirt from the messy drawers before heading to the bathroom.

The teenager haphazardly tossed his clothes on the counter before stripping down and taking a fast shower, scrubbing at his hair and body with haste. After a few minutes, he turned the water off, stepping out to towel himself down and dress. Wiping away the layer of condensation on the mirror, Nero scowled at how utterly tired he looked.

He shook the excess water from his hair before toweling it half-dry. The high schooler tossed the towel in the general direction of the laundry hamper and didn't bother himself to pick up the discarded cloth when it missed. The teen exited the bathroom, turning off the light, and shuffled into his bedroom. He glanced at his bed-side clock and swore.

Nero rushed downstairs, slinging his backpack over his shoulder. The teen shouldered through the tight dining room where his foster father sat, reading the newspaper.

"Good morning, Nero."

"Yeah." Came the half-hearted mumble of a reply as he continued on past the kitchen to the front door.

"Honey, I made you breakfast."

Nero completely ignored his "mother" and stepped out. She watched his retreating back, frowning and wiping her hands gingerly on her brightly-colored apron as the door was carelessly slammed shut.

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><p>He trudged through the streets, in a particularly foul mood, with his hands shoved into his pockets.<p>

"Nero!"

The teen slowly sought through the crowd for that sweet voice. He sighed in frustration, his features twisting into a frown. _Where is she?_

Suddenly a pair of arms wrapped around him from behind, startling him. He felt his heart slow considerably as the familiarity of the curves pressing warmly against his back settled in.

"Hey, Kyrie."

The brunette giggled, releasing her friend, "Good morning!"

He almost _grimaced_ at her cheeriness, "Morning."

She was treading by his side now, smiling widely at him. The girl was really Nero's only friend. Even though he wished she'd- one day- become more than that, and the teen occasionally found himself laying awake, fantasizing of what they could be; he was fine with the status of their relationship now.

"So," He cleared his throat, "Why didn't Credo drive you to school this morning?"

Her beaming face had the high schooler adverting his gaze, a light blush dusting his cheeks, "I decided it wouldn't hurt to walk with you every now and then, so I asked him to drop me off at your house. You must get lonely, being by yourself the entire walk."

Nero swallowed with embarrassment, rubbing his nose. "Nah, it's not too bad."

He watched her bobbing pony-tail as she trotted in front of him, spinning around, "I won't be able to walk with you after school, though."

He quirked a brow, "Why?"

Kyrie's beam intensified, "I have choir practice this afternoon!" She paused, her glow suddenly muddied with worry, "Oh, you'll come, won't you, Nero?"

He nodded, promising, "Yeah, sure."

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><p>Once they arrived at the school, they parted, going to their separate classes.<p>

Nero quickly went to his locker grabbing his World History textbook. At least it'd give his teacher one less thing to bitch at him about. The bell rang, causing the teen to curse under his breath as he rushed down the hallway.

The high schooler flopped into his desk with a sigh of relief, their teacher was late. After a few minutes of listening in on near by classmate's conversations, class started, and he nodded off.

Nero woke with a start- courtesy of the bell- gathering his things heading off to his next class.

For a Monday, everything was going pretty smoothly. He had successfully slept through Art and Spanish; he was going to try to work a bit in Algebra, but zoning out for a week and a half had gotten him completely lost on the material. He had sat with Kyrie and a couple of her friends at lunch, listening to their uninteresting gossip. Thankfully, they didn't have to do anything in gym, allowing Nero some time to himself to zone off and think. His sixth period was a computer class, which he couldn't stand. Technology wasn't the teens best friend, per see, and could be exceptionally boring. Alas, the day was still going fairly well, as his computer only froze up on him once. He had managed to not blow anything up or spill any dangerous chemicals in the chemistry lab, and in English he actually wrote his name on a blank page that was _meant_ for literary work. Oops. There goes the zoning out again. Nero seemed especially good at doing that.

After school had ended, the teen found himself walking alone, suddenly missing his brunette companion. A smirk suddenly broke across his face, he had heard of a shortcut to his neighborhood through a near-by alley. Kyrie almost always walked home with him, and she was always too iffy of the idea to let him go that way, but now that she wasn't...  
>Nero scoffed, shrugging his shoulders, it sure didn't seem like it would hurt to go that way. For a moment he remembered his friend mentioning something about gangs. He dismissed it. Really, what harm could it do? It was probably just a rumor anyway. That was it then, his mind was made up. With that, he turned into the alleyway.<p>

He plundered along the dirty, unpaved paths between the city's buildings. For being a shortcut, it sure did seem that it was taking a long time to get home. The teen was starting to loose his patience, almost ready turn around and go his normal route. He sighed, stopping in a littered lot. As he turned around to head back, he heard a small click. His heart started to pound, and he slowly turned to face two gang members. Panic flooded his senses when he realized what he heard had been a switchblade, which was now being pointed at him. Maybe if he had noticed the gangsters' slouchy posture and lazy demeanor, it would have been a bit less threatening.

"Are you a new member 'round here or somethin'?" The first slurred, dropping his weapon to his side.

The second wore a confused expression, "Does the boss even know 'bout you? There hasn't been any news of a new one..."

The teens hands were starting to tremble, he clenched his fists in a vain attempt to cease them. "H-Hell no, I'm not one of you!"

The blade was trained on him yet again. "Then you're tellin' me it's a complete coincidence that your on the Devil's territory, wearing _our _color, huh?"

Nero finally had the sense to take a close look at their clothes. Red.  
>His eyes slid to the other. Red.<br>To his horror, he glanced down, at himself:  
><em>Red.<em>

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><p><strong><em>AN: _**_...I hope I can remember everything I wanted to say here. xD  
><em>_My first serious multi-chapter fic. Hopefully it'll do me some good since all I seem to be able to write is drabbles lately. OTL  
><em>_Sorry, I know this chapter is extremely slow and boring, but I promise- plot next chapter! The chapter titles are all based off of Hollywood Undead songs, as their song "Pain" inspired this. I really don't care for "Bad Town," but I really couldn't find a song that would relate to this chapter. I'll try harder for future chapters... Oh, and if you find any errors tell me, please! Expect an update, err, eventually. I have been lazy lately (Ultimate MvC3 is not helping!). After checking this over a couple times... I realized, why would Nero be worried about getting to class on time if he's just going to fall asleep anyway? I mean, it's knda ovbious he doesn't well, maybe he has too many tardies, who knows? :/  
>Yeah, M-Rated stuff comes with plot... later on. x]<br>If you didn't happen to notice, nothing's wrong with Nero's arm here. ;)_

_Thanks so much for reading! Please review! :3_


	2. Pain

_**I do not own Devil May Cry, its characters, Hollywood Undead or its song "Pain."**_

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><p>Nero felt a heavy weight of despair in his gut, and the bony fingers of fear tickling the inside of his chest. Swallowing against the lump in his throat, the teens eyes darted for a way of escape. His instincts were screaming at him to<em> run<em>, just _run and get away_. He stumbled backwards a few steps before falling and colliding into a solid chest. He panicked and flailed out wildly. After a few seconds, the adrenaline had faded enough for him to regain enough sense to push himself off and whip around.

He couldn't help the bewilderment that spread across his face when his gaze met an equally dazzling turquoise. Nero swore his heart stopped when his eyes found the other's white hair that mirrored his own.

_Like me. He's just like __**me**__._

The teen gaped at the gangster in front of him, unable to form words.

"Hey, kid, what're you doing here?"

After a pause, he repeated himself, "What are you doin' here?"

Nero hesitated, "I... I'm just trying to get home."

The goon grinned, almost sadistically. "Really? Just trying to _get home_? What kind of pathetic excuse is that?" Suddenly, his demeanor 360'd, the forced smile falling from his lips, leaving his words ground out and full of venom. "You're one of them, huh? You workin' with the Angels? Some sort of spy?"

Once again the highschooler felt fear flare in his abdomen. "N-No! I have no idea what the Hell you're talking about!"

"That's just what they told you to say, right? Told ya' to put on some red and just come _dancin' _into our territory? It's not gonna be that easy, I'll make sure it's not."

Nero swallowed.

"Well, I hope they weren't expecting you back, kid."

The highschooler took a quick step back, "What...?"

The taller only shot him that maniac grin before turning on his heel. He took a couple slow steps forward, lifting a hand and snapping his fingers. In an instant, the gang members behind the teenager grabbed his arms, twisting them being his back. He squeaked in surprise, "Wh-What the Hell?"

He heard the white-haired young man laugh coldly, "C'mon, boys."

Nero's panic was alight yet again. He made a violent attempt to struggle out of the grasp the gangsters had on him. "Let me go! You don't understand, I have no idea what you're talking about! I'm just trying to get _home_!"

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><p>Once they had reached the "head quarters" for the Devils, Nero was roughly dropped into a decrepit wooden chair, and hastily tied to it. That's when the "interrogation" began. The blue-eyed gang banger crouched in front of the high schooler, eyes narrowed with suspicion.<p>

"So, what did they need you to check up on, kid?"

Nero glanced at the gangsters crowded around, attempting to dismiss the idle mumbling before setting his gaze back on the member before him. "No one sent me anywhere."

"Why do ya' insist on lyin' to me? You're not goin' nowhere, so just give up on it."

"I swear to God, I'm not! Why don't you just believe me and let me go?"

The squatting teen rubbed at his eyes. "Look, kiddo, I know you wanna cover yourself up, but it jus' ain't workin' out for ya'."

The teen closed his eyes.

_Why does everything have to be so difficult?_

He swallowed against his rebelling stomach, trying his hardest to ignore the disgusting remarks a group from the corner were spouting. Focusing his glare back on the gang member, he desperately tried to block out the horrid comments of what an "easy lay" he probably was, or the callings of "pretty boy" and "baby-face."

"I'm not a member of some gang. I'm not interested in whatever you all do. I'm just a goddamned high school student, why can't-"

In a bout of frustration the elder stood and thrust a handgun -a black pistol- into the teen's mouth, "Wanna spill now, kiddo?"

Nero's eyes widened to the point that it almost _hurt_. He tried to retort, but only muffled gibberish spilled from around the barrel. Glancing up revealed the member was ready to shoot, his finger placed precariously on the trigger. The sixteen year old tensed, fearing for his mortality, and clamped his watery azure orbs shut, mainly in a vain attempt to control his tears. _Oh, shit._

After a few intense moments, the weapon was pulled away, leaving the high schooler open-mouthed and panting lightly. Nero forced himself to look, only to find that the gangsters cocky poise had returned. He was crouching again, but this time that accursed firearm was in hand.

"Do you even know who I am?" Silence greeted the elder's question, and he took the vacancy as a "no."

"Well then, I'm the all-powerful leader of the- one and only- Devils, kid. Name's Dante."

Nero froze, taken aback. _You mean this douche is a frickin' gang leader? No way. No. Way._

"So..." The Devil- _Dante_ started, "You gonna be fair and tell me yours?"

Nero sputtered, more intimidated than ever, "N-Not a chance in Hell!"

The elder huffed and got to his feet, ordering a near by gang member to untie the traumatized teenager.

After being freed, Nero sat awkwardly, completely unsure of what to do. He rubbed idly at his nose before slowly rising, rubbing at his wrists. "So," The thigh school student began, looking hopefully, "can I leave now?"

The gang leader barked out a laugh, "Hell no, kid! You're pretty feisty, so I thought it'd be good to keep ya' around."

Nero felt something in his chest flutter; whether it was emotions or his heart, he wasn't entirely positive. _Please, God, let him be joking. Please let him be. Please!_

Smirking, Dante lowly explained, "Y'know kid. Joining a gang-"

"I'm not joining anything!"

"-comes at a price. Actually, now that I get a good look at you, you're kinda cute..."

Nero flushed, trying to repress the urge to wipe at his nose in anxious embarrassment.

"So I guess I'll give you a treat. What'd ya' think about that, huh?" Dante sauntered closer to his victim, "Just to let you know, I don't do this for every one. I'm just treating ya' 'cause of your nice face."

"What? What the hell's that supposed to mean?" Genuine confusion spread across Nero's features.

The gang leader shook his head, grinning, "Well, _kid_, you'll find out in a minute..."

It was the mock seductiveness dripping from the nineteen year-old's words that caused what he was implying to click in the high schooler's mind. "You're sick..."

His grin grew wider.

"You're sick. You are _so_ sick!"

The elder slowly unzipped his pants, chuckling darkly. A single, frantic thought buzzed through the teen's distressed mind.

_I wanna go home._

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><p><em><strong>AN**__: I'll try to be updating every other Thursday, this chapter; however, was finished a day early! Yay! :D_

_Uhm, let's see, sorry if you're not a fan of face-rape lime-thingies... It just kinda happened... so... yeah. (I also heard online that those kinda things can happen in gang initiations... apparently. /)_

_There was something else I was wanting to put here. Let's see... Well, thanks for Madeline for sitting through another chappy with me, and helping edit it! LOVE YOU, MY FRIEND! 3 _

_Oh, and I don't know much on gangs AT ALL. :\ Bare with me a bit longer, as I'm still doing more research! _

_Oh! Another thing, while fixing this chapter, Madeline and I got to talking about Dante's treat for Nero. She said, "I'd know instantaniously that he'd rape me." I said that I'd expect them to make brownies for me. "Oh boy! Is it brownies?" :'D_

_Thanks so much for reading! Please review! :3_


	3. The Natives

_**I do not own Devil May Cry, its characters, Hollywood Undead or its song "The Natives."**_

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><p>Besides the fact it was now vacated, Nero woke in the same dimly lit, dirty room. For a blessed moment he completely forgot what had happened mere hours ago. Then it hit him swift, harsh, and heavy.<p>

_Oh my God._

The teen gagged violently, sure it had just been oral, it could have been worse, even more out of hand. Sure he had fought back. Hell, Nero had spat, clawed (until Dante had ordered him to be bound), bit, and cursed at the gang leader with all he had. It wasn't enough, though. It wasn't enough to put an end to the unspeakable ministrations.

And he loathed himself for it.

With a low sound of heart-wrenching despair, Nero curled in on himself, burying his face in his arms and tried his best to will it all away. Oh, what the teenager wouldn't give to wake up in bed at home. He wished from the depths of his soul that when he opened his eyes it would all be a dream, a nightmare. That he could go downstairs and actually eat breakfast with his loving foster parents. He regretted not acknowledging having at least _them. _They did so much for him, and he didn't give a damn about it.

Glossy blue eyes fluttered open. He was still in that God-forsaken hell-hole. Swallowing thickly, Nero dropped his head heavily against his knees.

Well, on the bright side, the son-of-a-bitch unbound him.

Bringing a trembling hand to the back of his aching head, the teen sighed in relief at the dryness. He was almost positive that the blow broke the skin and drew blood. After the gang leader finished, he deemed the high schooler too violent to be untied at that moment. Instead of waiting for Nero to wear himself out and give up on fighting back, he called over a goon of his to knock him out. His green-eyed henchman was armed with a pipe. Nero almost didn't have enough time to fear for his life. and he only felt the explosive pain for a split second before blacking out.

That brought him to where he was now, cheeks burning with shame as another weight settled upon him. All those people. They had been standing there the entire time, hadn't they? He wasn't sure. He was too focused on Dante to care then, but now that he thought about it, he hadn't the vaguest memory of the crowd leaving.

Abashment dusted his face in a darker variation on pink. Nero shook his head, attempting to push the thoughts out of his mind. Glancing around the room, he decided that an exploration of the small space couldn't lead him wrong. He stood on unsure limbs, holding on to the wall behind him for support.

Upon further inspection of his shadowy holding place he found nothing but dirt, grime, and scrap rope. A raggedy navy couch sat at the far end of the room. The corner of his lips dipped down into a frown upon realization that it had been obviously spray painted an off shade of crimson at one point in time.

_They sure did do a crap job. Bunch of half-asses._

A brown area rug that had most definitely seen better days lay spread out from underneath the couch. Nero sighed, taking cautious steps toward the ripped old sofa. He clicked his tongue in disapproval, muttering to himself, "Terrible taste, I'll give them that..."

The high schooler shrugged off the way his voice quaked, and slowly lowered himself on to the couch, coughing from the dust the action rose. After a few minutes of silence, he curled up, bringing his knees up to meet his chest.

He sat like that for sometime, pondering his situation over. Suddenly, his head shot up, gaze locking on the door. _I am one Hell of an idiot._ He stood promptly, rushing over what would hopefully be his way out. His fingers froze centimeters away from the knob. What if they expected him to open it? What if that burly gangster with the piercing green stare and his pipe were waiting on the other side? His pounding head throbbed harder, as if trying to further convince him not to. Yet still, the golden sphere enticed him, drawing him in like bait on a line, taunting him to muster up the courage to just give it a simple twist.

And so, he gave into it, and did.

"Sh-shit..."

It was locked.

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><p><em>Creak...<em>

Nero lifted his head from his folded arms, his attention snapping to the door, and blinked to bring his eyes into focus.

"What up, kid?"

The teens stomach flopped with anxiety. Dante sauntered on into the room, grinning. He could feel his heart pounding its way up into his throat as the older male dropped into a crouch in front of him.

"Congratulations."

Nero shot him a glare, lacing his words with as much malice as he could muster. "For what?"

"You're officially part of the Devils now."

"What?" The high schooler gawked at the grinning leader, "Wh-What the Hell did you just say?"

The gangsters grin grew impossibly wider, and The teen swore it was going to crack his face in half.

"You passed initiation, kid. You're in."

Nero flushed with anger, "I didn't agree with this, you bastard!"

"Well, it's too late to change your mind now."

A look of genuine horror spread across the teenager's face, "Why...?"

Dante scoffed, like it was the most _painfully obvious _thing in the world. "Look, kid- Wait, wait, wait. You got a name, don't ya'? As your new leader, I'd like to know it."

The high schooler chewed his bottom lip. Should he just tell? What harm would it do, or rather what harm _could_ it do? Not that consequences mattered to his distressed mind, as he blurted it out before even realizing it, "N-Nero! My name's Nero..."

He gasped lightly, taken aback at his voice answering without his own consent. He couldn't help inwardly wincing at the tone of helplessness in it.

"Nero... I like the sound of that, even though 'kid' does suit you. But enough of that shit. Now, have you heard of another street gang called the Angels?"

The younger teen shook his head.

"Well, they popped up a few months ago, trying to go up against _us_. We're getting desperate for members to help fend for or turf, you get what I'm sayin'? I hate to say it, but for a baby gang, they're pretty damn impressive. You just got lucky enough to be walking through to catch some of my guys' eye. Thought I'd keep ya' after seein' how fiery you can get. Might bring us some good, y'know?"

Nero stayed silent, glaring at the other male.

He took it as a sign to continue. "Since that's cleared up, on to the next thing."

The high schooler still held his peace, trying his best to keep eye contact with Dante's intimidating gaze.

"You are _not_ to tell _anyone _of this."

Nero bit his tongue in annoyance, "So what do you have planned if I do?"

"We'll kill your family, burn down your place, that sort of stuff." He waved a hand in gesture, his nonchalant tone irking the high schooler further.

"You liar."

"We have you're address, kid."

"Prove it."

The leader called a subordinate in, and ordered him to recite the teenager's address. The gang member did so, with surprising accuracy. Nero felt his heart beat pick up.

_He... He can't be for real. This is crazy. __**He's**__ crazy._

"You wouldn't!"

"Really, you think I _wouldn't_? Do you have any _idea_ how many people's blood stains my hands?"

The teen gulped.

"Got it now, kid?"

Nero merely nodded.

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><p><em><strong>AN: **__First of all, a big thanks to all those that favorites/alerted/reviewed! I love ya'll bunches! :3  
><em>_I wish I could've put this chapter up a little sooner, but I was sick all last week, and thus took a break from writing. My seven day vacation gave me a touch of Writer's Block. OTL  
><em>_I'm so glad I was able to put this up on time! :'D  
><em>_This chapter was slow to come together. Like bad slow. I have some stuff planned out, but I wanna put a few chapters between what's going on now and the changes for then. I was going to do it sooner, but I realized how awkward that change would be. :d  
><em>_Also, Christmas break is starting soon. I'm going to try, try, try, try, try to update weekly. Emphasis on TRY! ;)  
><em>_Another thing! I read that initiations for gangs can be, like, sexual kinda stuff. Had to take advantage of it. XD_

_Thanks so much for reading! Please review! :3_


	4. Coming Back Down

_**I do not own Devil May Cry, its characters, Hollywood Undead or its song "Coming Back Down."**_

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><p>Paranoid and shaken, Nero stumbled back out into the street from the network of alleys he had taken earlier that day. The sun had long been7.8 set, and the city was now engulfed in cool nighttime air, which to the high schooler, seemed more dark and unnerving than ever before. With regret, he turned and let his gaze slide back over the entrance to his new personal Hell. Damn it, he wanted to go back a few hours <em>just<em> to punch himself in the face for doing something so stupid.

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><p>Nero trudged in the house, slinging his back pack down on the carpet. He huffed, planning to go up to his room and work on forgetting everything that had happened. Fixing his eyes on the floor, he made his way into the kitchen. It all went downhill from there. He had ran straight into his foster mother.<p>

"Where exactly have you been? You've had your father and I worried sick about you!"

The teenager glanced uneasily at the window, "I... I went with Kyrie to her choir practice. I would've called, but I forgot to."

He winced inwardly when she raised a brow in suspicion. "And you expect me to believe that it lasted _that_ long?"

"She invited me to dinner," he lied, "we were talking and I just lost track of time."

She sighed, still obviously suspicious. "Fine. Just remember to call us next time. Now up to bed with you. School comes early!"

Nero nodded dumbly. _She... bought it?_

The high schooler hurried up the stairs, and closed the door to his room behind him. With a slow exhale he flopped onto his bed, covering his face with his hands. "What the Hell have I gotten myself into?" The teen sat in silence for a few moments before noticing the taste that was hanging in his mouth. His stomach lurched, and he scrambled into the conjoined bathroom, turning on the faucet. He shoved his face into the sink, taking in mouthfuls of water before spitting them back out. It took only a few seconds for the new Devils member to realize it wasn't working as well as he planned. Nero lunged across the countertop, snatching up his toothbrush. He brushed and brushed until his gums had started to bleed. He breathed shakily in relief. All he could taste was the minty-fresh coolness his toothpaste had to offer.

The teenager slumped and shuffled to his dresser, quickly changing into something that _wasn't_ red. He crawled onto his bed- pulling back the blankets- and collapsed in a miserable heap.

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><p>The next morning, Nero woke exhausted and drained. He hadn't slept well through the night. Hell, it took long enough just for him to drift off to sleep. The high schooler had been startled awake by odd nightmares about the gang. To his horror, the majority of them centered mainly around Dante, and a specific event that had taken place late that afternoon. Mainly their warped storylines would illustrate what would have happened if it had went further. The teenager would, upon awaking, bolt up into a sitting position, hand shooting up to cover his mouth as he attempted to regulate his breathing. The taste of the gang leader's essence would surface across his mouth, forcing him to bite down on his lip in order not to vomit. After a little bit, however, his stomach would calm, and he would always release a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. Then, Nero would carefully lay back down and situate himself into the smallest ball he could curl into. More than once he hid his face in his hands, repressing the overwhelming urge to cry.<p>

After one of the more graphic dreams, crying sure did sound pretty damn good, but he was a guy. Guys didn't cry. That wasn't right. They were _guys_ for God sakes. Males didn't have tear ducts, he would tell himself, everyone knew that. So he would just have to be strong for himself. He'd find a way out of this... yeah, as long as he started thinking now, he'd get out of it by next week. No problem. It'd be too easy.

By the time Nero had finished his little pep-talk with himself, warm streaks had already marked their way down his reddened cheeks. He rubbed roughly at his eyes, ashamed with himself for being so weak.

_Dante would never bawl like some kinda baby about something like this..._

Teary eyes snapped open, mortified.

_What the- Why the shit did I just think about __**him**__?_

Nero drug himself out of bed seriously contemplating staying at home but quickly dismissed it as not to cause any trouble between his life at home and the gang. He rummaged through his drawers- avoiding any colors remotely close to red- and decided that grabbing a blue sweatshirt and jeans had to be safe. He then slinked off to the bathroom for a shower.

Once his water was warmed up to a comfortable temperature, the teen peeled out of his clothes. The high schooler slipped under the water, scrubbing his skin thoroughly, hoping to remove any remnants of _that place_.

After becoming aware of how long he had taken, he turned off the water, almost slipping in his haste to get out and finish getting ready.

Once he was out the door and on his way to school, the teenager starting wondering if he could just skip. Go to the "head quarters" or whatever and get it over with. If he went after school and came home late again, his parents would be suspicious all over again. _Wait... _He didn't recall Dante ever stating anything about him coming back today. So, it was settled then, he'd just go to school like normal.

Kyrie bounded up, out of nowhere, giving him an over-cheery _good morning_, successfully startling him out of his thoughts. He offered her a muttered greeting in return.

"Nero... what's wrong? You look down."

"I'm just tired; I didn't sleep too great last night."

The duo settled into an awkward silence, which allowed The teen to fall back into his doubts and second-guesses about his decision. He barely noticed when the auburn-haired girl beside him started talking. The high schooler didn't suspect it was necessarily directed towards him, much rather just used to break the heavy quietness.

Again Nero was shook from his thoughts as they were about to pass the same alleyway he took the day before, a feeling of uneasiness made itself known in the pit of his stomach.

The high schooler tried to desperately focus on the one-sided conversation when suddenly a hand wrapped around his mouth, Nero struggled, and another snaked around his middle, pulling him into the alley.

Kyrie kept chatting on about her friends, the _she said this_'s and _he said that_'s. It took her a couple minutes to notice her companion's presence was missing. She glanced around before completely turning around. "Nero?"

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><p><em><strong>AN:**__ Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas! :) If anyone's wondering, I did. Ate enough to last me a couple weeks, that's for sure! xDD; _

_I totally forgot about Nero's backpack. well, it makes it's return here. :'D  
><em>_FFFFFFUUUU- This chapter was also SLOW. Very slow. Painfully slow. And it sucks; it jumps around too much. I'm sorry!  
>Sorry for saying I'd get new chapters out sooner than usual. I lied.<br>I'm sorry! Don't hurt me! ;A;  
>I'm not too sure where the next few chapters are gonna go, and not having quite the hang of writing with Dante and Nero isn't helping at all. xD<br>But! When the plot actually starts picking up. (Lord hope that's soon!) I might be able to write faster. Maybe. If my laziness stands for it. :/  
>Okay, school's out for about two more weeks, so hopefully I can write, write and write some more during that time. I would say- "Expect updates soon! (Cue sparkles, thumbs-up, winking, etc.)"But we all know that it'd probably be a lie. OTL<br>I'm sorry that I'm so lazy, ya'll. :C_


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